The The Hougoumont The Hougoumont was a Fenians teak ship built in 1852 for Duncan Dunbar, a successful ship owner, at his shipyard in Burma. Story It was named after Chateau d’Hougoumont which was occupied by the British at the Battle of Waterloo. The Hougoumont was a three-masted, full rigged Blackwall Frigate of 875 tons. The length was 167’ 5”; Breadth 34’; Depth 23’. The Voyage The voyage to Western Australia took 89 days ship. We were glad of this, as the majority of and the Hougoumont arrived in Fremantle with the convicts were the greatest ruffians, and 108 passengers and 280 convicts, including 62 the most notorious robbers in England... Fenians (45 civilian and 17 military). A good many of them had a great respect for our men and endeavoured to show it by Most of the passengers were pensioner several acts of good nature, and being most guards and their families. There was also a respectful in their deportment.” Catholic priest, Father Bernard Delaney, who administered to the prisoners. William Cozens Two others, John Flood, a journalist and John was the captain and W. Smith the surgeon. Boyle O’Reilly, a poet - published 7 editions of a ‘newspaper’ on board the Hougoumont One of the Fenians, Denis Cashman wrote to ‘keep up the spirits’ of the Irish prisoners a very detailed diary of their journey on the on board. They called it The Wild Goose and Hougoumont... the original survives in the State Library, NSW “We (the Fenians) had a separate and will be in Fremantle for the Festival. compartment in the convict portion of the The Fenians The Fenians were part of a huge movement beginning with the American Revolution in 1776, followed by the French Revolution in 1789 when the spirit of freedom inspired common people to rise up and strive for freedom, social justice and the right to vote. After several failed attempts to gain independence through parliamentary means, the Fenians realised they had to defeat the British and drive them out of Ireland. The Fenian movement or the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) flourished during the 1860s. The military Fenians were sentenced to life in prison and John Boyle O’Reilly, being a younger man, to 20 years hard labour. In March 1867 the Fenians planned a ‘rising’. The military Fenians were sentenced to life The English defeated this rebellion and two in prison and John Boyle O’Reilly (being a groups were charged and convicted –military younger man) to 20 years hard labour. (those who had served in the British army) All were transported to the Swan River and civilians. The arrested civilians were Colony in Western Australia where the treated as political prisoners while the military civilians were eventually able to become men were treated more harshly as traitors and ‘ticket-of-leave’ men, while the only option criminals, and charged with treason. for the military Fenians was escape. John Boyle O’Reilly John Boyle O’Reilly, a handsome charismatic 22-year-old Irish poet, was transported to Fremantle on the Hougoumont. His crime was inciting his fellow Irishmen and women to imagine a Republic. He was convicted, held in English prisons, where three times he attempted escape, and then transported to Western Australia. On board, he and fellow prisoner John Flood hand wrote and published a newspaper ‘The Wild Goose’ which O’Reilly read aloud each Saturday evening, to his illiterate companions. In Fremantle, authorities were concerned about his influence on the other Fenians and transferred him to Dardanup, near Bunbury to build roads. He was able to observed and later write about Aboriginal culture, and to protest loudly when a majestic Jarrah tree was to be cut down. His influence was such that the tree was left standing and the road re-routed. With the help of a Bunbury priest, Fr Patrick McCabe and local Irish settlers, O’Reilly escaped, hid in the bush near Australind and boarded the whaling ship Gazelle. Arriving in America, he became a journalist and then editor of the Boston Pilot. Never forgetting his companions, he conjured a plot involving a rich investor, a whaling ship and a crowd funding campaign to bust out the remaining prisoners. O’Reilly became a successful poet, journalist and public speaker. He remained an advocate for the disadvantaged and marginalized including African Americans, Native Americans and Jewish people. The Catalpa Escape This was a daring expedition to rescue the and conveyed a message to the Fenians that remaining military Fenians from Western a rescue was at hand. Another Irish Fenian, Australia. The plot was hatched in the USA by Desmond, worked with him on the plot. John Devoy, John Boyle O’Reilly and others. The escape was planned on the day of Perth Funding was collected from Irish people Regatta, Easter Monday 1876, when the all over the world to buy a 90-foot whaling governor and officials were in Perth watching ship, the Catalpa. Captain George Anthony the boat race. agreed to sail her and only three people The Fenian prisoners escaped by horse aboard knew her real mission. and carriage with Breslin and Desmond to Meantime, John Breslin a fearless American where Captain Anthony was waiting with Fenian, arrived in Fremantle. Posing as a his crew in a small whaling boat millionaire, James Collins, who was looking near Rockingham, for investment opportunities he lived at the Emerald Isle in High Street (now the Orient Hotel). Breslin visited the Convict Establishment about 20 miles south of Fremantle. The boat. Captain Anthony confidently gave Catalpa was far out at sea, in international orders to bail, but even he doubted they’d waters and they needed to row for hours to make it through that night. reach it. By morning, the Georgette reappeared and A coast guard cutter and a steamer, the went straight for the Catalpa but by then the Georgette, tried to intercept the rowboat. steamer was running low on fuel from being The men rowed desperately as the wind out all night, and had to return to shore. rose —the beginnings of a gale. Darkness fell Anthony saw his chance and made a dash to and waves crashed down on the overloaded the Catalpa. The Georgette, armed with a 12-pound cannon, returned and pulled alongside the Catalpa. The Fenians, seeing the armed militia, grabbed rifles and revolvers and prepared for battle. Anthony turned the Catalpa away from Australia, but the wind went dead. The Catalpa was becalmed. The Georgette then fired a shot across Catalpa’s bow and called, “You have escaped prisoners aboard that ship.” “You’re mistaken,” Anthony replied, “There are no prisoners aboard this ship. They’re all free men.” The British gave Anthony 15 minutes to come to rest before they’d “blow his masts out.” Anthony pointed to the Stars and Stripes. “This ship is sailing under the American flag and she is on the high seas. If you fire on me, I warn you that you are firing on the American flag.” Suddenly, the wind picked up. Anthony ordered up the mainsail and swung the ship straight for the Georgette. The Catalpa just cleared the steamer’s rigging and headed out to sea. The Georgette followed for an hour, till finally the commander peeled the steamer back toward the coast. The Fenians were free! The Catalpa arrived in New York four months later. A cheering crowd of thousands met the ship for a Fenian procession up Broadway. John Devoy, John Breslin and George Anthony were hailed as heroes and news of the Fremantle Six prison break quickly spread around the world. To listen to the full story: www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/hindsight/the-catalpa/4806338 “You’re mistaken,” Anthony replied, “There are no prisoners aboard this ship. They’re all free men.” .